162: Chapter 162 Departure

Subsequently, the two discussed the details of the operation and the arrangements for the personnel.

The next day.

After Pei Qingyun had finished washing up, he hurriedly boarded the merchant ship, accompanied by Pei Dinglong.

However, unlike him, Pei Dinglong had boarded the ship in advance.

As for the other accompanying personnel, Cui Ruiyuan had already arranged everything.

To prevent any hidden agents from being on the ship, Pei Qingyun had made other special arrangements. Everyone's departure was decided on the spur of the moment.

Instead of being agreed upon a day in advance.

This way, it would be a bit rushed, but it would just happen to avoid more accidents from happening.

In addition, Cui Ruiyuan had also dispatched a patrol fleet.

The purpose of the patrol fleet was not for combat, but to scout for enemy traces.

At the same time, Pei Qingyun could also use the patrol fleet to return to Deep Water Harbor.

After all, he was not really going to follow the merchant ship to deliver goods. As long as they left the Deep Water Harbor area, the merchant ship would basically be safe.

Otherwise, how could it be done in less than half a month for a round trip?

Although the Pei Clan had a fifty percent share of the profits from Deep Water Harbor, he was not willing to go through such trouble.

Following the sea breeze, the merchant ship carrying Pei Qingyun slowly sailed from the mooring into the waters around the Deep Water Harbor area.

The Deep Water Harbor area covered about two hundred li of sea. Whether on land or at sea, this range was not considered small.

At the speed of a large passenger ship, it would take over four hours to sail out of it.

In other words, from the time of departure from Deep Water Harbor until leaving this sea area, if the merchant ship were to be attacked, it would generally happen within this timeframe.

There was only a very small possibility of it happening outside this sea area.

Over four hours was not a long time. If Pei Qingyun put in some effort, guarding two merchant ships a day would be a breeze.

But that would only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.

Although life at sea was not that hard to endure, he did not have the leisure to stay on the ship all the time.

Standing on the deck, the sea breeze gently blew through Pei Qingyun's white hair, while his gaze remained fixed on the vast ocean.

On the vast sea level, schools of fish would occasionally leap out, splashing up waves.

Occasionally, a few large birds would fly down from the sky, diving down like lightning.

Pei Qingyun was long accustomed to such scenes.

At first, he had some interest. After seeing it many times, it became dull.

Just then, Pei Kong walked over from behind and leaned against a ship railing.

"Old Ancestor, the sea breeze is quite strong. Why don't you go back to the cabin to rest, and I will stand guard?" Pei Kong said.

"It is no matter," Pei Qingyun said.

"Old Ancestor, do you think the Gale Pirates will come to attack the merchant ship?" Pei Kong asked.

Pei Qingyun did not answer, but instead asked in return, "And what do you think?"

Pei Kong thought for a moment, paused, and then slowly said, "I think the Gale Pirates will not attack. Based on the intelligence I have gathered, the leader of the Gale Pirates, Yuwen Kuang, appears arrogant on the surface, but he is actually very meticulous and has never done anything without certainty."

Pei Qingyun looked at Pei Kong with interest, "How did you figure this out?"

Pei Kong explained, "Back then, although Yuwen Kuang agreed to the conditions of the Cui Clan Grandmaster, he did not come in person. It is very obvious that he is not a person who would put himself in an unsafe situation. This time, with Old Ancestor making such a big fanfare, he will inevitably think there is a trap."

Pei Qingyun responded with a sound, giving an answer contrary to that, "Oh, but I do not think so. On the contrary, Yuwen Kuang will definitely come this time."

Hearing this, a trace of doubt flashed in Pei Kong's eyes.

In this situation, any sensible person would not be fooled.

Of course, if one had absolute confidence in their own strength, they would naturally fear nothing.

But even if Yuwen Kuang had advanced to the Six Viscera Realm, he would not have been promoted for very long.

In this situation, what confidence would Yuwen Kuang have to defeat our Old Ancestor?

Without giving Pei Kong too much time to think, Pei Qingyun continued, "Just a few days ago, Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng had quietly left the Luo Clan's territory. He has not been seen returning until yesterday. I suspect that there is collusion between this Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng and Yuwen Kuang."

Pei Kong said in surprise, "Is Old Ancestor talking about that Luo Clan Grandmaster who was invited back?"

When he said the word "invited," his tone was particularly heavy.

"Exactly," Pei Qingyun said.

Subsequently, Pei Qingyun explained his recent analysis to Pei Kong in detail.

Hearing this, Pei Kong could not help but gasp.

If this were true, it would be truly incredible.

The Luo Clan, where Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng belonged, was the maternal Family of Cui Ruiyuan's wife, Luo Qingling.

If, in this situation, Cui Ruiyuan was still stabbed in the back by his pillow partner.

This was simply unimaginable.

If it were him, he would probably find it hard to accept.

"Old Ancestor, do you think Luo Qingling might have known about all this long ago?" Pei Kong said in a deep voice.

Pei Qingyun explained, "That is not necessarily the case. Besides, this matter has not been concluded, and it is also possible that my guess is wrong. Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng may not necessarily be colluding with Yuwen Kuang."

"Old Ancestor, you really are godlike in your foresight. At first, I was still wondering. Even if Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng's arrival did not solve the existing problems of the Cui Clan, it should not have caused the situation to deteriorate to this extent. Now it seems that everything really has traces to follow."

"This Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng is even scheming against his in-laws; he really is not a good thing," Pei Kong said indignantly.

Hearing this, Pei Qingyun was somewhat dumbfounded.

Pei Kong's words had a hint of a veiled insult.

The Pei Clan had an in-law relationship with the Heyuan Cui Clan.

He wanted fifty percent of the Cui Clan's profits, and the nature of that was actually similar. It was just that he came openly, while Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng came secretly.

Could it be that because he, Pei Qingyun, came openly, he was not a good thing either?

Pei Kong did not realize one thing: he seemed to be scolding himself.

At this time, Pei Qingyun reminded him, "Alright, the evidence is not yet conclusive, so do not spread this around on the ship. If other members of the Cui Clan hear this, it is definitely not a good thing."

At this critical juncture, if this matter were exposed about Cui Ruiyuan, it would certainly shake Cui Ruiyuan's status as the Family head.

In Pei Qingyun's view, Cui Ruiyuan was a very good partner.

If the cause of this matter was affected, it would also be unfavorable for the unfolding of his subsequent plans.

"I understand." Pei Kong's expression was solemn, and he nodded slowly.

On an island.

Yuwen Kuang had also received the news half a month ago that Pei Qingyun would be traveling with the merchant ship tomorrow.

Therefore, a few days ago, Yuwen Kuang had called Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng and the Hu Family head, Hu Weiyong, to the island to discuss.

The purpose was to discuss whether to make a move during this operation.

At this very moment, the three were sitting around a large round stone table.

Even on the small island, the conditions were actually not bad. There were beautiful women serving them and fine wine to taste.

Yuwen Kuang sat on the north side of the stone table, while Grandmaster Luo Dingpeng and Hu Weiyong were on the east and west sides, respectively.

The three exchanged glances, and they could clearly see the differing opinions in each other's eyes.

Yuwen Kuang spoke first, "Speak, what should be done about this matter?"